Originally offered as a public utility or service vehicle, the Toyota Hiace is often used as an ambulance, a taxi, a minibus or a van. In the Philippines, it is an essential for anyone who wants to start a car rental business, as it is the one vehicle most tourists want to rent for their long travels.
Maybe you thought the Hiace has been around the same length of time the Toyota Fortuner in the Philippines has been, but actually it’s been on the road for a much longer time. The Toyota Fortuner was launched in 2005 while the Toyota Hiace has been in production since 1967! That means that it has been transporting man from one place to another for almost half a century and will be doing so for many years to come.
Exterior
The Toyota Hiace is equipped with five doors, two of them sliding to make it easier for your second, third and fourth row passengers to enter or exit the vehicle. This van comes in three colors, namely black mica, silver metallic and white pearl two-tone. This big beauty has enough headroom with its height of 1.98 meters. For sure, legroom won’t be a problem with its length of 4.69 meters. And with a width of 1.69 meters, you’ll certainly have a lot of space. You’ll easily notice the Toyota Hiace with its black bumper and multi-reflector halogen front headlamps with their integrated clearance and turn lamps.
Interior
Do you plan to travel in a group of three? How about seven? Or ten? The Toyota Hiace can easily accommodate that number of people and still have some space left for the luggage. A typical van would have just three rows of seats (not including the front), but the Toyota Hiace has four. And for sure every person will be keeping cool even on the hottest day of summer, thanks to the 2-tier air conditioning system. It has a three dial control to give you control over the coolness or warmth of the cabin. Looking inside, you know this is one van perfect for those long road trips with your family or friends. It even has its cigarette lighter and ashtray, which is handy for those drives when you just need a quick nicotine fix.
Engine
The Toyota Hiace comes in one transmission – a 5-speed manual gear box that’s dash-mounted for easier gear shifting. The van has a 2KD-FTV engine with a 2.4 Liter diesel, which sports a direct-injection, four-stroke common rail diesel engine tech called D-4D. It’s also has a 4 cylinder, in-line 16 volt engine with a turbo charged double overhead camshaft. And it has a maximum output of 102 Ps per 3,600 Rpm and a maximum torque of 260 Nm per 1,600 to 2,400 Rpm. In other words, it has a mighty engine!
Safety
Worried about you family or friend’s safety? Don’t worry! Toyota has you covered; in case of a crash, a dual driver and passenger airbag will deploy in the front row to protect the driver and the two passengers sitting beside him. All the other rows also have seat belts to protect the person sitting on them.
The Toyota Hiace is the best vehicle there is for sightseeing, family outings and road trips with friends. Check it out at your nearest Toyota dealership and you’ll see we’re right.
